Old Stone Cemetery Near Landsford Canal -- Fort Lawn, South Carolina

Old Stone Cemetery Near Landsford Canal State Park
in Chester County, South Carolina.

This burial site in Fort Lawn, adjacent to Landsford Canal State Park, contains grave markers dating to before the American Revolution. This is apparently an old church cemetery, which also is known as Mount Zion Cemetery, likely named for a church whose members were interred here. There are numerous cemeteries by that name in Chester County. It is situated in what used to be the small town of Landsford. When local Revolutionary War hero and University of North Carolina founder General William Richardson Davie established his plantation, Tivoli, near this site in 1805, he used the established graveyard as a landmark when giving directions to his estate.

To reach the cemetery from Fort Lawn drive north on US Hwy 21 for about 4 miles, turn right or east onto Canal Road, which is the entrance road to Landsford Canal State Park. Go approx 1/2 mile and you will see a ranch house with a white fence around the property on the right. The cemetery is on the left across the street, visible from the road. The graveyard is bound by an old wall of field stone.

There is a sign in this cemetery which explains how the graveyard and graves are protected by South Carolina Law, Section 16-17-600. Any person found guilty of any destruction will be strictly punished under this law. The Old Stone Cemetery is owned and maintained by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

This cemetery is in fairly good shape, but somewhat overgrown with weeds and vines. All of the visible graves are documented, however there are many that are marked, yet have no writing, or names; a few are just stones. A number of them are old and beautiful markers that date back to the late 1700s and 1800s. Some have dedications that you can still read if you take the time to brush off some of the moss and lichens. Others can be read by using wax paper and making a rubbing.

There are several Revolutionary soldiers and Civil War soldiers buried here. The tallest of these markers is a 7 foot monument honoring the grave of Sergeant Robert G. Stephenson, Company G, 22nd South Carolina Volunteers (Palmetto Sharpshooters), which helps finding the cemetery from the road -- the woods have overgrown the small, walled off cemetery. Sergeant Stephenson is the only one who survived the war, four other Confederate soldiers buried on site died in service. Two of these markers, honoring the graves of Revolutionary War Colonel Robert Patton and his wife Sarah, have dedication plaques added to their sites by the SC Sons of the American Revolution in 2004.   

The following are the pictures I took on my visit to the site in June of this year:

The following are the names and information taken from the 81 stones on site, in alphabetical order (Known military veterans highlighted in red): 

 
Adkins, Sarah Dunlap, d. 29 Jan 1816, age: 10yrs
Atkins, Elizabeth, d. 28 Mar 1807, age: 64yrs
Bigham, Eloner, d. 25 Nov 1810, age: 48 yrs
Bratton, John, d. 15 Aug 1804, age: 6 yrs, s/p Robert Bratton
Bratton, Robert, d. 15 Jul 1804, age: 3 yrs, s/p John Bratton
Croset, infant, d. 3 Nov 1855, Infant daughter of Andrew and Sarah Croset
Croset, William, d. 10 Feb 1846, age: 87yrs
Crossett, Andrew, d. 11 Apr 1890, age: 87yrs
Culp, Edward Rowell, b. 8 Mar 1871, d. 21 Jul 1871, son of HJ and ML Culp
Culp, H. J., b. 7 Sep 1842, d. 9 May 1920, s/w Mary L Rowell
Culp, Henry J, d. 30 May 1879
Culp, John R., d. 24 May 1864 Hanover Junction, age: 27yrs 1mos 9 (or 19) days, Member of Co A 6. S.C. killed at Hanover Junction.
Culp, Judson Preston, b. 20 Oct 1877, d. 6 May 1908, son of HJ and ML Culp
Culp, Juson Bartow, b. 6 Feb 1868, d. 15 Nov 1871, son of HJ and ML Culp
Culp, Mary L (Rowell), b. 14 Sep t1841, d. 18 Apr 1914, wife of H.J. Culp, s/w H.J. Culp
Culp, Mary Sarah, b. 10 Nov 1832, d. 12 Oct 1839
Culp, Mattie Cordelia, b. 18 Sep 1869, d. 22 May 1880, daughter of HJ and ML Culp
Culp, W. H. , b. 27 Mar 1864, d. 8 Sep 1913, son of HJ and ML Culp
Davis, Elizabeth, d. 7 Apr 1825, age: 23 yrs
Dunlap, David, d. 4 Aug 1814, age: 21yrs
Dunlap, Gilbert, d. 6 Sep 1805, age: 70yrs
Dunlap, John A, d. 16 Aug 1827, age: 30 yrs
Dunlap, Mary P, d. 3 Feb 1816, age: 9yrs
Dunlap, Sarah, d. 8 Jul 1816, age: 51yrs
Dunlap, Sen, David, d. 26 Dec 1817, age: (?3)2 yrs
Dunlap, Susanna, d. 3 Mar 1841, age: 65yrs
Dunlop, Margaret C A, b. 9 Sep 1839, d. 8 Sep 1854, age: 14yrs 11mos 29d, Daughter of Col James P and Elizabeth S Dunlop
Dunlop, Wm Sr., d. 28 Feb 1829, age: 62yrs
Hamilton, Rosannah, d. 9 May 1836, age: 36yrs
Harbison, Ja's, d. 6 Jun 1825, age: 86yrs, s/p Mso' Elizabeth Harbison
Harbison, Mso' Elizabeth, d. Jan 1822, age: 80 yrs, his wife, s/p Ja's Harbison
Johnston, Elizabeth, d. 16 Aug 1821, age: 37 yrs
Johnston, Susanna, d. 26 Oct 1817, age: 65 yrs
Johnston, Thomas, d. 2 Jan 182?, age: 57yrs, Native of Ireland but for 39 yrs a Resident of this state
Kenmore, Elizabeth Ann, d. 10 Apr 1828, age: 55yrs
Kenmore, Elizabeth, d. 3 Jun 1807, age: 71yrs, his wife, s/p James Kenmore
Kenmore, James, d. 2 Nov 1803, age: 67yrs, s/p Elizabeth Kenmore
Kenmore, James, no dates, "their son James laid in the fam grave, his Father was previous to his Father", s/p James Kenmore
Kenmore, John, d. 16 Jun 1840, age: 80 yrs, native of Ireland and a privet in the Revolution of 1776
Kenmore, Margaret G, d. 3 Jul 1845, age: 50yrs
Kenmore, Susanah, d. 5 Oct 1844, age: 18yrs
Lyle, David, d. 26 Feb 1857, age: 65 yrs, "Native of Antrim County, Ireland"
Lyle, James, d. 10 Dec 1864, age: 35 yrs, s/p Jane Lyle
Lyle, Jane, d. 15 Dec 1876, age: 84yrs, s/p James Lyle
Lyle, William, d. 22 May 1846, age: 26yrs
Lyles, Rosannah, d. 13 May 1845, age: 80 yrs, wife, s/p Thomas Lyles
Lyles, Thomas, d. 18 Oct 1824, age: 55yrs, s/p Rosannah Lyles
McClenahan, Fenney, d. Feb 1818, age: 62 yrs
McFadden, Sarah Julian, d. Oct 1831, age: 6yrs
McFadden, Elizabeth, d. 26 Jun 1802, age: 39yrs
McFadden, Infant, d. 1815, Infant son of Isaac and Jane McFadden
McFadden, Isaac, b. 13 Aug 1788, d. 24 Jun 1854, age: 66 yrs, Our father
McFadden, Isaac, d. 9 Dec 1820, age: 67 yrs
McFadden, Jane, d. 24 Oct 1835, age: 47yrs
McFadden, Margaret Catharine, d. 7 Sep 1823, age: 6yrs
McFadden, Mrs Mary, d. 18 Jun 1830
McMillan, Ann, d. 12 Feb 1870, age: 78 yrs, noted as "Miss"
McMillan, Jane, d. 7 Dec 1824, age: 62yrs
McMillan, Jennette W, d. 18 Apr 1883, age: 81yrs 6 mos 15ds, wife of Wm McMillan
McMillan, William J., b. 22 Sep 1842, d. 12 Dec 1862 Fredericksburg, Va, fell a martyr to thee cause of his country at Fredericksburg Va.
McMillan, William, d. 4 Aug 1804, age: 43 yrs
McMillan, Wm, b. 9 Feb 1800, d. 10 Apr 1873
Patton, Agness, d. 23 Dec 1813, age: 32 yrs
Patton, Robert, b. 1737, d. 17 Nov 1807, Col. Revolutionary War Soldier and Patriot
Patton, Sarah, b. 1744, d. 16 Feb 1829, Wife of Col Robert Patton
Simpson, William, d. 6 Jun 1777, age: 26yrs
Stephenson, Elizabeth C, b. 2 Dec 1869, d. 19 Jun 1871, age: 1yr 6mos 19days, daughter of RG and EM Stephenson
Stephenson, Elizabeth Melissa (Culp), b. 28 Jul 1846, d. 7 Sep 1913, Wife of R.C. Stephenson
Stephenson, Robert G. , b. 26 Nov 1834, d. 11 Jun 1910, A soldier of Co. G. Palmetto Sharp Shooters S.C.V. C.S.A. 1861 1865.  
Stergis, Jane, b. 2 Jan 1836, d. 18 Sep 1840
Sturgis, Ellen, d. 20 Oct 1886, age: 82 yrs
Sturgis, Willam , d. 9 Apr 1877, age: 66 yrs
Walker, Elizabeth, d. 16 ? 183?
Walker, A. F., d. 30 Jan 1864, age: 37 yrs (Confederate Cross of Honor at grave site)
Walker, David L, d. 4 Jul 1858, age: 1 yr 6 mos 7 d, Son of A.F. and Martha Walker
Walker, Elizabeth, b. 31 Mar 1824, d. 8 Dec 1875
Walker, Elizabeth, d. 19 Dec 1806, age: 68 yrs, s/p son William Walker
Walker, John G, b. 11 Aug 1829, d. 2? Sep 1854
Walker, Margaret, d. 27 Oct 1826, age: 12 yrs
Walker, Rebecca, b. 22 May 1796, d. 23 Jun 1873, age: 77yrs 1mos 1d, wife of William Walker
Walker, William, d. 18 Dec 1832, age: 50yr, s/p Elizabeth Walker (his mother)

(Nine other stones were unreadable, or had initials instead of names)

Source: Cemetery Records Online